Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, set to be unveiled today at Lord's, postponed: Here's why

Hindustan Times

13 hours ago

The much-anticipated unveiling of the new 'Anderson-Tendulkar' trophy was postponed in the wake of the Ahmedabad plane crash on Thursday. The silverware for the five-match Test series between India and England, set to begin on June 20, was scheduled to be unveiled on Saturday, Day 4 of the World Test Championship final between South Africa and Australia at Lord's Cricket Ground. However, the reveal has now been pushed to another date. The Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad resulted in 241 lives being lost.
"The trophy was set to be unveiled today during Day 4 of the WTC Final. But it has been postponed due to the Ahmedabad air crash. The silverware will now be unveiled sometime later. The announcement will be made soon," an ECB official confirmed to Hindustan Times.
India and England will no longer play for the Pataudi Trophy after the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) decided to rename the upcoming five-match Test series the 'Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy'.
The decision to retire the Pataudi Trophy has been met with a lukewarm response, and several legends, like Sunil Gavaskar, have questioned the need to play with history and change the trophy's name.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has now noted the need to keep the legacy of former India captain Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi alive. Sources privy to developments confirmed to Hindustan Times that the ECB has received a letter from the Indian cricket board requesting that they name one of their individual awards for individual performance on Pataudi.
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"There has been a request made to the ECB to name one of the post-match or post-series awards on Pataudi. The decision to retire the Pataudi Trophy was taken by the ECB. The BCCI had no role in renaming the trophy since the series is being played in England," sources privy to developments confirmed to Hindustan Times.
It is being learnt that the ECB might decide to name the Player of the Series Award after Pataudi. It must be mentioned that whenever a series between India and England ends in the UK, the organisers award the Player of the Series from both India and England.
The coaches of both teams choose the Player of the Series. England head coach Brendon McCullum will decide the winner from India, while India coach Gautam Gambhir will decide the winner from England.
It's not yet known why the ECB decided to move on and retire the Pataudi Trophy. According to reports, the England board informed Pataudi's son, Saif Ali Khan, about the same earlier this year. The Pataudi Trophy was established in 2007 – the last time India won a Test series in England – to celebrate India's 75th anniversary of their first Test in 1932.
At the age of 21, Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi became the youngest Indian captain. His father, Iftikhar Ali Khan, played for both India and England.
India and England will now play for the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy. According to reports, the duo is expected to unveil the silverware before the first Test in Headingley, Leeds.
Anderson retired from international cricket in July 2024. He is the leading wicket-taker in Tests when it comes to pacers. He has 704 wickets to his name in 188 Tests. On the other hand, Sachin Tendulkar is the leading run-scorer in Tests, having scored 15,921 runs from 200 Tests.